Thursday, September 9 – Judges 2:6-15 – Jill Pouliot

Judges 2:10 – After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things He had done for Israel.

God has called us into a relationship with Him. Think about that. The God of the universe has created us and put all things in place – including making us holy through Christ’s death. Why? So we can be His friend. Verse 10 says that the people grew up and didn’t acknowledge the Lord. Certainly, the historical stories of how He had rescued them from Egypt were still known to them. Certainly they knew of God and how He had been the God of their ancestors. But they didn’t KNOW Him. A relationship takes work. It isn’t healthy if it is a private thing. If you really care about someone, you want others to know about your relationship. To “acknowledge” is a verb – it means we’re doing something. It wasn’t that the next generation hadn’t heard of God, it was that they hadn’t admitted that He was real and that they needed Him. They didn’t have a relationship with Him.

Instead, they got distracted by all the things of their world – the “gods” of their neighbors. How about us? Do we get distracted by the gods in our neighborhoods? (make a list!) Do we take time to remember the mighty things that God has done for us? (make another list!)

Dear God, We are overwhelmed that you WANT to have a relationship with us. Help us live lives that acknowledge that you are our God. Help us to live gratefully remembering the mighty things that you have done and do for us daily. Show us how the distractions of this world keep us from KNOWING You better. Amen.